Carlson Scan3D vs Octave GeoMedia: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Carlson Scan3D and Octave GeoMedia to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Carlson Scan3D
5.3/10
A handheld 3D scanning app for iOS LiDAR devices and Carlson Windows tablets. It produces colour point clouds for surveyors, engineers and construction teams.
Octave GeoMedia
6.8/10
Desktop GIS from Octave (formerly Hexagon/Intergraph). It combines CAD, GIS and database data for mapping, spatial analysis and network modeling, mainly for government and utility users.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.3/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free GeoMedia Viewer |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
Carlson Scan3D vs Octave GeoMedia cost by team size
| Team size | Carlson Scan3D | Octave GeoMedia |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Carlson Scan3D
- Higher Cost score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Octave GeoMedia
- Has a free plan (Carlson Scan3D does not)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for government (9/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Carlson Scan3D
Pros
- All processing happens on the device, so scans can be made in trenches, vaults or remote sites without a connection.
- Exports DP, E57, RCS, LAS and LAZ files, which load into most point cloud tools.
- Scans can be geo-referenced with Carlson GNSS receivers and survey control files.
- Merges with drone, terrestrial and aerial LiDAR clouds in Carlson Point Cloud to fill gaps.
Cons
- Windows prices are not published, so buyers must go through a dealer.
- Phone LiDAR and depth-camera capture suits small objects and spaces, not large sites.
- There are almost no independent user reviews or ratings to check its performance.
- LandXML model comparison and direct .DP import into Carlson Point Cloud were announced as coming soon at launch.
Octave GeoMedia
Pros
- Connects directly to CAD, GIS, database and imagery sources without converting them first.
- Analysis results are kept as live queries that update when source data changes, which avoids piles of intermediate datasets.
- Reviewers praise its cartography and automatic label placement, which produces little overlap by default.
- SoftwareReviews users rate vendor support at 90 and data interoperability at 88, both above the category average.
- A free Viewer lets non-GIS staff open and print GeoMedia maps without buying a license.
Cons
- No public pricing, and reviewers describe the license tiers as confusing.
- Much smaller user community and fewer learning resources than Esri ArcGIS or QGIS.
- One reviewer could not load a large Esri file geodatabase and found database connections slow.
- Web publishing needs the separate WebGIS products.
- Ownership has moved from Intergraph to Hexagon to Octave, which raises questions about the product's long-term direction.
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Octave GeoMedia scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 5.3/10 for Carlson Scan3D. The largest gap is in Analytics: 4/10 for Carlson Scan3D and 8/10 for Octave GeoMedia.
Octave GeoMedia has a free plan; Carlson Scan3D does not list one.
Octave GeoMedia is the better fit for government: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 5/10 for Carlson Scan3D.
